Business
Minister urges transport firms to lower fares
  • | VNS | February 12, 2015 02:07 PM

Many transport enterprises have reduced their transport fees as legally required, but not enough, a senior official of the Ministry of Finance said on February 11.

Nguyen Anh Tuan, head of the ministry's Price Management Department made the comment after announcing the results of inspections into 40 transport companies in Hanoi, HCM City and Da Nang and in the two provinces of Dong Nai and Binh Duong. The inspection was performed this month in localities known to have the largest coach and taxi industries.

The inspections came after a wave of cuts to petrol prices since July 18, 2014 have failed to be reflected in transport fares. The drastic drops in petrol prices have been as big as 38.9 and 33.1 per cent, justifying considerable reductions to fares.

The government strongly suggested, and then later required transport companies to change their prices accordingly. Most transport enterprises slashed their fares on at least two occasions by three to 21.7 per cent of the fare.

According to the recent inspections, however, five out of 20 enterprises in Hanoi failed to lower their prices sufficiently to match lower input petrol costs. In Da Nang it was worse with three out of four enterprises failing to fairly price their new fares.

In southern Binh Duong Province, Thu Dau Mot City's Road Transport Co-operative was only enterprise that had not reduced its fares. The enterprise was transferred to the ministry's inspectors for punishment.

HCM City and Dong Nai Province were the only two localities where enterprises cut transport fees as legally required, Tuan said.

He said the inspection team has asked the departments of transport in these cities and provinces to urge reluctant enterprises to quickly reduce their fares according to new petrol prices.

The ministry would set deadlines for these enterprises to change their fares or else face punishment, he said.

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